Private renters desert Tories amid doubts over pledges of new powers for tenants

Liz Truss warned ‘rent wall’ ready to deprive Tories of key swing seats – if promises are broken

Private renters are deserting the Tories following fears that Liz Truss will water down promises of new powers to challenge bad landlords, a poll says.

One in three tenants who voted for the Conservatives at the 2019 general election – a total of 400,000 people – now plan to vote for another party, the survey has found.

This so-called “rent wall” could deprive the Tories of key swing seats such as Hastings and Rye, Milton Keynes North and Gloucester, the analysis suggests.